Jazz Piano Transcription: Count Basie
Jazz Piano Transcription
In a jazz world that was already beginning to be shaped by the advent of rock and roll and rhythm and blues, Count Basie stood out as a bandleader who could keep the big-band format alive with both power and grace. He was one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, and his legacy has lasted well into the present day.
Born in 1904, Basie was attracted to music as a youngster and settled on piano as his primary instrument. He was a good student and learned the basics from Harlem stride pianists, particularly Fats Waller. He played in vaudeville troupes for a while, but when the band he was with broke up in Kansas City in 1927, Basie took up with bassist Walter Page’s territory band. He soon became a regular member of the group and, after Page’s death, took over as leader himself.
The Count Basie Orchestra made many recordings for various labels in the 1930s and 1940s, including Decca. Basie’s economical piano playing and his mastery of ensemble work pushed the band to the top rank of the big bands. In the 1950s, Basie reorganized his group, placing greater emphasis on ensemble work and adding a more powerful style built from the riffs and buoyant rhythm that had become the trademark of his earlier bands. The group achieved renewed popularity for recordings featuring vocalists such as Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams.
Jazz Piano Transcription: Count Basie
Throughout his career, Basie’s group was frequently called “The Barons of Rhythm.” His economical playing and mastery of ensemble work helped put the Count Basie Orchestra at the forefront of the genre. The band also had a reputation for bringing out the best in its instrumentalists.
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Basie’s influence was widespread, and his compositions were used in a variety of films, most notably the 1952 movie Sugar Chile Robinson. He was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1983. The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey and a street in his hometown of Mechanicville, New Jersey are named in his honor, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6508 Hollywood Blvd. The post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance included a song entitled Count Basie on their 2018 album Artificial Selection. In addition, James Ellroy made a character out of him in his novel This Storm.